Wall frame structures

ABSTRACT

A wall frame structure made up of upper and lower sheet steel plates between which extend a number of studs, the studs being connected to the plates, preferably at both ends by means which engage with co-operating means on the plate in such a manner that the two are secured together without the use of welding, nuts and bolts or rivetting.

United States Patent Satchel] 51 Aug. 1,1972

[54] WALL FRAME STRUCTURES [72] Inventor:

New South Wales, Australia [73] Assignee: Guest Keen & Nettlefolds(Aust) Limited, Auburn, New South Wales, Australia 22 Filed: Marchll,1970 21 App1.No.: 18,556

52 U.S.Cl. ..52/656,52/290,52/696, 287/189.36D

51 Int. Cl. ..E04c 2/38,F16b 5/07 [58] Field of Search...52/656, 690,DIG. 6, 696, 717,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 734,781 7/1903 Walker et a1...52/349 2,058,386 10/1936 Parsons ..52/349 2,114,388 4/1938 Killion..52/241 2,267,477 12/1941 Siebenlist ..52/290 2,270,710 1/1942 Ring..52/717 2,966,708 l/196l Freeman, Jr ..52/696 3,083,794 4/1963 Stovall,Jr. ..52/729 3,125,193 3/1964 Brown et a1 ..52/242 3,160,280 12/1964Burch ..52/290 Eric William Satchel], Chatswood,'

3,204,382 9/1965 McGurn ..52/241 3,527,006 9/1970 Hanson ..52/2412,906,482 9/1959 Flint ..287/l89.36 D

860,884 7/1907 Priddle ..287/189.36 A 3,221,846 12/1965 Brown et a1..287/189.36 A 1,028,829 6/1912 Reuterdahl ..287/l89.36 D 1,697,0031/1929 Fink ..287/l89.36 D

236,755 l/1881 Banks ..52/656 3,050,160 8/1962 Chessey ..287/l89.36 D2,690,336 9/1954 Belmont ..52/656 3,203,151 8/1965 Bransford, Jr...52/241 3,495,417 2/1970 Ratliff, Jr ..52/241 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS ltaly ..287/59 B Great Britain ..287/189.36 D

Primary Examiner-Frank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner-Leslie A. BraunAttorney-Michael S. Striker [5 7] ABSTRACT A wall frame structure madeup of upper and lower sheet steel plates between which extend a numberof studs, the studs being connected to the plates, preferably at bothends by means which engage with co-operating means on the plate in sucha manner that the two are secured together without the use of welding,nuts and bolts or rivetting.

7 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAH: 1 m2 sum 1 or z l0 Iuvnm Elle4161mm W {a PATENTEOAUG" H912 3.530.271

SHEET 2 [IF 2 Iii 150m Em 01am Jim 5 fly 04% MM.

WALL FRAME STRUCTURES The present invention relates to wall framestructures for domestic and commercial buildings and more particularlyto steel wall frame structures.

The wall frame of a conventional timber framed building consists ofupper and lower horizontal plates between which a plurality of studsextend. The frame also includes transverse connectors and heads forwindows and doors. The object of the present invention is to provide asimilar type of wall frame construction from steel and particularly toprovide a construction in which the studs and plates are joined by meanswhich avoids wholly or partially the necessity for welding or theprovision of nuts and bolts or rivetting.

The invention consists in a steel wall frame structure consisting ofupper and lower plates between which extend a plurality of studs, eachplate and each stud being formed from sheet steel folded to a channelsection, or

other suitable section, at least one end of each stud having meansengaged with co-operating means on a plate such that the stud is firmlysecured to the plate without use of welding, nuts and bolts orrivetting.

In a preferred form the invention consists in a steel wall framestructure consisting of upper and lower plates between which extend aplurality of studs, each plate and each stud being formed from sheetsteel folded to a channel section or other suitable section, at leastone plate being formed at intervals along its length with inwardlyprojecting lugs or the like and each stud being formed at at least oneend with slots or the like, the said end or ends of each stud being, bydeformation of either stud or plate, inserted into a plate at anappropriate point and the slots on the stud engaged with the lugs in theplate so that the end of the stud is secured to the plate, therebyforming a wall structure.

Sections other than channel sections suitable for the purposes of theinvention include angle sections, box sections, sigma sections and zedsections.

In order that the invention may be better understood and put intopractice a preferred form thereof is hereinafter described, by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steel wall frame according to theinvention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, to an enlarged scale of one end of a studand portion of a plate illustrating the manner in which they areinterconnected, and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing portions of a stud and twotransverse connectors illustrating the manner in which they areinterconnected.

In the preferred form of the invention both plates and wall studs 11 ofFIG. 1 are made from galvanized steel sheet of, for example, 18 gauge.Each plate 10 is formed by folding up sheet steel to form a channelsection having an external width of 3% inches and a wall height of 1inch, each wall having at its upper edge an inwardly directed flange 12of a width of one-quarter inch. It should be emphasized that thesedimensions and other dimensions given in this specification are by wayof example only to assist in an understanding of the invention.

At regular intervals along the plate, for example 12 inch intervals, theinternally extending flanges 12 are cut away to a width equal to thethickness of a stud 11, a portion 13 of the material of the flange is,however,

left in the middle of the space formed to constitute a lug forengagement with a corresponding slot 14 in a stud, details of which aredescribed below. The formation of the cut away portions and lugs 13 ispreferably carried out by punching out the sheet material beforefolding. The thickness of the studs 11 and thus the width of the cutaway portions is preferably I 1 inches and the width of the lug 13%inches. The cut away portion on one flange 12 is formed immediatelyopposite a cut away portion on the other flange so that the end of thestud can be accommodated between them. Plates are manufactured to anydesired lengths and the spacing of the cut away portions may be at anydesired intervals.

Each stud 11 is formed from galvanized sheet steel in a manner similarto the plates and consists of a channel section of an internal width 3%inches and a depth of 1% inches. The walls of the section are plainwithout any inwardly directed flange. Studs are made to a standardizedlength to provide the normal ceiling height and are shaped at each endin the manner described below for engagement with a plate.

At each end the width of the stud is reduced to 3% inches for a depth of1 5/16 inches so that the end of the stud will fit within the channelsection of a plate, the walls 15 of the stud lying closely against thesides of the plate. At the inner end of the reduced portion at eachside, is formed a slot 14 which is preferably eleven-sixteenths inchlong and one-sixteenth inch wide which is preferably punched out beforethe metal is folded. The arrangement is such that the end of a stud maybe inserted into a pair of cutaway portions on a plate and, bydeformation of the plate to spread the sides apart, the stud may beintroduced into the space between the inwardly projecting lugs 13 sothat on allowing the plate to return to its normal configuration thelugs will engage the slots 14 to hold the stud firmly to the plate withthe end of the stud resting on the base of the plate. In this manner acomplete wall frame can be built up from two plates and an appropriatenumber of studs, quickly and without the use of tools.

Preferably the base of each stud between the walls is cut away at 16 toallow service pipes and wiring to be laid along the plates.

Inwardly inclined portions 20 are formed at the ends of the studs tofacilitate their introduction between the sides of the plate.

Adjacent studs 11 are interconnected by means of transverse connectors17 which fulfill the same function as their counterparts in a timberframe. In this case, however, the transverse connectors 17 are formedfrom galvanized sheet steel folded to a channel section in the samemanner as the studs and plates and at each end the base of thetransverse connector is provided with a pair of projecting T-shaped lugs18, the height of the stem of the T being approximately equal to thethickness of the material of the stud. Each stud is provided atintervals with pairs of T-shaped slots 21 the width of the head of theslot being equal to the width of the head of the lug 18 on thetransverse connector 17. The arrangement is such that the lugs 18 on atransverse connector 17 may be offered up to the slots 21 on a stud l 1and passed through the heads of the slots. The transverse connector maythen be allowed to drop so that the stem of the lug enters the stem ofthe slot and the transverse connector is thus held in contact with thestud and cannot be pulled away from it. The slots are preferablyconstructed so as to accommodate two transverse connectors one enteringfrom each side of the stud. The end 22 of the transverse connector whichis required to enter between the walls of a stud is made of a reducedwidth in a manner similar to the ends of the studs.

The slots 21 in each stud 11 described above are provided at suitableintervals throughout its length to accommodate not only transverseconnectors but also heads, window frames and sills for doors and windowsall of which may be constructed in a manner similar to the transverseconnectors. The studs may be provided with 541 inch holes 23 atintervals for wall ties.

Suitable diagonal bracing for the wall frame may be provided in anyconvenient manner, the bracing being attached either by welding, byscrews or by interengagement with slots in the studs.

Holes or knock-out sections may be provided in the plates or studs toenable service wires or pipes to pass through the structure or for theplacing of ties for bricks or other wall materials.

A particular point to note in connection with the construction describedis that the channel sections forming the studs, plates and transverseconnectors are all of the same width so that each external side surfaceof the wall frame lies in a single plane thus facilitating theattachment of a wall cladding.

The embodiment of the invention described above is given by way ofexample only and may be varied within the scope of the invention asdefined broadly above. It will be noted that the studs and plates areinterengaged and secured together without welding, nuts and bolts orrivetting and while the means for interconnection illustrated inconnection with the preferred embodiment it will readily be appreciatedthatother means may be adapted within the scope of the invention.

While it is preferred that both ends of each stud should be secured to aplate by means engaging with co-operating means on the plate and withoutthe use of welding, nuts and bolts and rivetting, the advantages of theinvention may be obtained in part if one end only of each stud isengaged with a plate, for example, the lower plate, and the other end issecured to the other plate by means, for example, of nuts and bolts.

What I claim is:

l. A steel frame structure for buildings comprising upper and lowerplate members each constituted by a U-shaped sheet metal channel havingopposite wall portions, said plate members being arranged spaced fromeach other with said opposite wall portions on said two plate membersrespectively extending toward each other, at least one of said oppositewall portions of each plate member being formed at intervals along itslength with inwardly projecting lugs; and a plurality of stud members,each constituted by a sheet metal channel extending between said platemembers and each having opposite end portions respectively snuglyreceived between said opposite wall portions of said plate members, eachof said stud members having at each end thereof an inwardly inclinedportion for engagement with the respective inwardly projecting lug onthe plate member and spaced from said end an aperture for matin l r civin the res ectivel wh re during insertign of the ogposite nd portib nsof sa id stud members between said opposite wall portions of said platemembers, the walls of at least one of said members are first resilientlydeformed by engagement of said inclined portions with said projectinglugs so that after full insertion said lugs snap into the respectiveapertures to thereby lock the members to each other.

2. A steel frame structure as defined in claim 1, wherein both oppositewall portions of each plate member are formed along its length withinwardly pro- 25 jecting lugs.

3. A steel wall frame structure as in claim 1, including transverseconnectors arranged at intervals between said stud members, eachtransverse connector being formed from sheet steel folded to a channelsection and being connected at each end to a stud member.

4. A steel wall frame structure as in claim 3, wherein each nogging isprovided at each end with a T-shaped lug and each stud member isprovided at intervals with T-shaped slots, whereby the T-shaped lugs ofsaid noggings are engaged with said slots of said studs and relativemovement between said noggings and said stud members is prevented.

5. A steel wall frame structure as in claim 1, wherein said studs andplates are of the same width whereby each external side surface of thewall frame lies in a single plane whereby cladding can be easily mountedon the wall frame structure.

6. A steel wall frame structure as in claim 1, wherein said stud membersare further provided with holes whereby essential services may passthrough the wall frame structure.

7. A steel wall frame structure as in claim 1, wherein said stud membersare further provided with a cut-out whereby essential services may passthrough said wall frame structure.

1. A steel frame structure for buildings comprising upper and lowerplate members each constituted by a U-shaped sheet metal channel havingopposite wall portions, said plate members being arranged spaced fromeach other with said opposite wall portions on said two plate membersrespectively extending toward each other, at least one of said oppositewall portions of each plate member being formed at intervals along itslength with inwardly projecting lugs; and a plurality of stud members,each constituted by a sheet metal channel extending between said platemembers and each having opposite end portions respectively snuglyreceived between said opposite wall portions of said plate members, eachof said stud members having at each end thereof an inwardly inclinedportion for engagement with the respective inwardly projecting lug onthe plate member and spaced from said end an aperture for matinglyreceiving the respective lug, whereby during insertion of the oppositeend portions of said stud members between said opPosite wall portions ofsaid plate members, the walls of at least one of said members are firstresiliently deformed by engagement of said inclined portions with saidprojecting lugs so that after full insertion said lugs snap into therespective apertures to thereby lock the members to each other.
 2. Asteel frame structure as defined in claim 1, wherein both opposite wallportions of each plate member are formed along its length with inwardlyprojecting lugs.
 3. A steel wall frame structure as in claim 1,including transverse connectors arranged at intervals between said studmembers, each transverse connector being formed from sheet steel foldedto a channel section and being connected at each end to a stud member.4. A steel wall frame structure as in claim 3, wherein each nogging isprovided at each end with a T-shaped lug and each stud member isprovided at intervals with T-shaped slots, whereby the T-shaped lugs ofsaid noggings are engaged with said slots of said studs and relativemovement between said noggings and said stud members is prevented.
 5. Asteel wall frame structure as in claim 1, wherein said studs and platesare of the same width whereby each external side surface of the wallframe lies in a single plane whereby cladding can be easily mounted onthe wall frame structure.
 6. A steel wall frame structure as in claim 1,wherein said stud members are further provided with holes wherebyessential services may pass through the wall frame structure.
 7. A steelwall frame structure as in claim 1, wherein said stud members arefurther provided with a cut-out whereby essential services may passthrough said wall frame structure.